Photos - The Korea Times

Jeongwol Daeboreum

A woman performs a traditional dance in front of a large bonfire, or "daljip," to celebrate "Jeongwol Daeboreum" beside Omokgyo Bridge in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, Thursday. "Jeongwol" is the first month of the lunar calendar and "Daeboreum" is its first full moon. Korea Times photos by Yoon Sung-wonTraditional  ways of celebration continuesBy Yoon Sung-wonOn Thursday evening, many gathered around the large bonfire, or “daljip,” to celebrate Jeongwol Daeboreum beside the Omokgyo Bridge in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul. “Jeongwol” and “Daeboreum” means first month by lunar calendar and big full moon, respectively. Gazing at the blazing fire, grandparents, children and young couples all made wishes of happiness and well-being throughout the year.Thursday was the eve for the day that comes around the fifteenth day of the first lunar calendar month.Koreans traditionally burned “daljip,” or a pile of sheaves and wood chunks, to drive away bad luck and to wish good fortune.People gather around “daljip,” a large pile of

Feb 14, 2014

East meets West

Seokpajeong and trees at the foot of Mt. Inwang are covered with snow./ Courtesy of Seoul MuseumBy Yoon Sung-wonStepping out of the back door of the Seoul Museum, the beautiful combination of Seokpajeong’s “hanok” or traditional Korean tile-roof buildings and the valley of Mt. Inwang stretches out. With the snow heaped up on the rooftops and rocks, the landscape appears to be picture-perfect. Nestled between Mt. Inwang and Mt. Bukak, Seokpajeong was built in the mid-1800s and was occupied by Heungseon Daewongun, the influential father and regent of the Joseon Kingdom’s penultimate king. Visitors walk a snowy road in front of Seokpajeong’s main gate./ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Seokpajeong was designated as Seoul City Tangible Cultural Heritage in 1974 and Seokpa Cultural Foundation, together with the Seoul Museum, has managed and refurbished the building after purchasing it nine years ago.Seokpajeong strikes a stark contrast with the modernistic structure of the Seoul Museum, whose interior is painted in black and gray.At the

Feb 6, 2014

Avian Influenza

Chickens wait to be culled at a poultry farm in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, Jan. 27, where a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza was reported. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chulBy Yoon Sung-wonSEOCHEON, South Chungcheong Province ― A big swarm of migratory ducks rose into the sky and made a variety of impromptu formations against the evening sky. As abruptly as they started, the birds settled on a strip of wetland in the Geum River estuary. Baikal teals, the most common migratory birds to be found here, have long been loved by Koreans.Their mass dance often elicits exclamations from whoever observes their magnificence.However, migratory birds have become a threat as they have been pinpointed as the alleged source of the January outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that is now posing a serious threat to Korea’s poultry industry.Chickens are the most vulnerable. A poultry farm in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, was crowded with workers after it was subjected to culling, Monday. It took just two hours to anesthetize, kill and bury ov

Feb 2, 2014

Without natural snow

A group of people at the 21st Mt. Taebaek Snow Festival take photos of a snow sculpture of Korean idol group Crayon Pop at the Taebaek Mountains Provincial Park, Gangwon Province, Friday./Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chulTaebaek festival brings forth heart of winterBy Yoon Sung-wonAbundant supply of snowfall and panoramic view of endless snowy mountains have long crowned Gangwon as the superb destination to savor winter in Korea. As long as people expect that, the show must go on and so does the 21st Mt. Taebaek Snow Festival, with or without actual snow.“I’m afraid we won’t have as many visitors as previous years as it snowed much less than before this winter,” a restaurant owner in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, said in the morning of Friday’s opening day. The festival will run through Sunday. A child in a stroller takes a picture of a snow field with a smartphone.Despite local residents’ concerns, the way into the Taebaek Mountains Provincial Park, the main venue for the festival, was bustling with visitors. In front of them was a white fiel

Jan 20, 2014

Moody's unlikely to change Korea's ratings

Tom ByrneMoody’s vice presidentBy Yi Whan-wooGlobal credit ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service hinted Wednesday that it will not change South Korea’s current Aa3 sovereign rating because of North Korea’s nuclear test on Tuesday.The U.S. credit rating agency said the test will not affect the firm’s outlook in the short term. South Korea’s rating is the fourth highest out of 21 government bonds the firm rates.“We do not expect the test itself will have any material or lasting disturbance on the strong financial and economic fundamentals of South Korea,” Moody’s senior vice president Tom Byrne said in an email interview with The Korea Times.“Korea’s rating remains Aa3 and the outlook stable,” he added, referring to the fact the company elevated the nation’s rating by one notch from A1 in August 2012.The financial markets were relatively unaffected by the test. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 1,976.07 Wednesday, up 30.28 points or 1.56 percent from the previous close that

Feb 13, 2013

Moody's unlikely to change Korea's ratings

Best summer outings in Korea

By Rachel Lee What would summer be without festivals? Here is a choice of family-friendly days out in Korea for festival-goers as well as for those without concrete plans for the summer. They range from an action-packed mud festival to an artistic theater festival. Get down and muddy in Boryong BORYEONG ― During the summer festival period, fun-seekers flock to South Chungcheong Province to wrestle and slide in the sludge at Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach. It has been running for 14 years since 1998 to promote the beneficial properties of the high-mineral mud found on the beach and cosmetic products made in the city. Organizers of the festival said on Saturday that the quality of mud can be compared to that found in locations in Israel and Russia. The 15th mud festival kicked off on Saturday and runs till July 24. It has certainly become a popular destination for both Koreans and foreigners living in Korea; a festival representing the Korean wave. Visitors of all ages and nationalities mingle together and enjoy the mucky fun. “This event re

Jul 19, 2012

London Olympics

By Kang Seung-woo With the London Olympics just around the corner, Team Korea is stepping up its efforts to make a top-10 finish for a thirdstraight time. The 2012 Summer Games will run from July 27 to Aug. 12. Korea, which has established itself as a sports heavyweight, finished ninth in 2004 and seventh in 2008. In order to reach its goal, Korea will dispatch a total of 240 athletes to compete in 22 events to London, where the nation made its Olympic debut in 1948. For the first time, Team Korea will set up a training camp in London at Brunel University which will be equipped with medical staff and nutritionists that will provide Korean food for athletes during the games.

Jul 5, 2012By Kang Seung-woo

Incheon Airport becomes ‘Cultureport’

By Shim Hyun-chul Waiting for boarding is no longer boring at Incheon International Airport. Instead of reading books or blankly staring at television screens, passengers can indulge in various cultural performances to be held over 5,000 times a year. To break away from the stiff image, Incheon International Airport offers diverse cultural events ranging from classic to traditional Korean performances from June. There is the Korea Traditional Cultural Experience Center at the airport where passengers can play Korean traditional instruments such as "gayageum" and "janggu," or try handicraft such as kite and fan making. The experience is free for foreigners. Travellers can also try on "hanbok," or traditional Korean costume, and appreciate and purchase craftworks including famed Korean ceramics. The airport also holds the "Walk of the Royal Family" parade, which reenacts a stroll by the king and queen of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), at the passenger terminal. Incheon International Airport is one of the leading travel hubs and has topped the Airport Service Qualit

Jun 28, 2012

Dano, start of summer

By Shim Hyun-chul The sun scorched the asphalt as if to melt it and tires out the body even before going down for the day. Children jump into fountains and people eagerly bite mouthfuls of ice cream or slurp up every last drop of their ice Americano coffee, anything to beat the heat. Summer’s heat wave has arrived here in Korea in accordance with the lunar calendar. “Dano,” the fifth day of the fifth lunar month signifying the start of summer, falls on June 24 this year. Through traditional seasonal customs, people can reflect on how their ancestors used to spend the sizzling months of the year. Dano is one of Korea’s four major holidays along with Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok, (Korean Thanksgiving) and Hansik, the 105th day after the winter solstice. As it is the most active day of the year, on Dano people pray full of energy for a good harvest and peace. They also pray to remove bad spirits and exchange folding fans with each other as gifts, which is particularly useful to create even the slightest movement of air. Representative Dano food includes rice cakes

Jun 21, 2012

Mt. Cheonggye

By Shim Hyun-chul Mountain trails, well-shaded with leafy trees and the refreshing sound of running water, relieve urban people’s cares and worries. Mt. Cheonggye is one of the most easily accessible mountains around Seoul for climbing, and extends over the southern border of the capital into Gwacheon, Euiwang and Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province. The mountain features temples and parks as well as a beautiful green forest and wooded valleys. The name of the mountain comes from clear water from the valley as the Korean word “cheong” means clean and “gye” means valley. As the name indicates, there are some beautiful valleys on Mt. Cheonggye, including Wonteogol, Yakchosaemgol and Eodungol. The 618-meter-high mountain also features the Manggyeongdae and Maebong summits as it surrounds the south of Seoul. At observation spots throughout the mountain, climbers can enjoy breathtaking views of the capital and Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon. There are several routes to climb the mountain and it takes about two to two-and-a-half hours to get to the top whichever one is chosen.

Jun 14, 2012

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